Moma Liangshan

Chapter 174 Using Deception and Profit to Lure Them

Shangjing City was divided into two parts: the northern city, named Huangcheng (Imperial City), was inhabited by the Khitan people; the southern city, named Hancheng (Han City), was inhabited by the Han people. The two cities were connected, forming a "日" (sun) shape. Huangcheng was built by Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji, while Hancheng was expanded by Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Deguang. Huangcheng and Hancheng were equal in size, both being square with sides of three li (approximately 1.5 kilometers), but Huangcheng's walls were three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high, while Hancheng's walls were only one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) high. Outside Huangcheng, the land was lush with water and grass, serving as the felt tents and pastures for the Khitan people. However, with the Jurchen army at the city gates, the area outside Shangjing City was constantly at risk of becoming a battlefield between the Jin and Liao dynasties. Therefore, the original inhabitants outside the city had long since migrated to the south.

Princess Shu was deeply favored by Emperor Tianzuo, and two thousand years ago, she was granted a residence in the city. Upon entering the city, Wang Hao and his entourage were immediately housed in her residence. Wang Hao was quite puzzled and asked, "I am an envoy of the Great Song Dynasty, yet I am staying in your residence instead of the official post station. This may be inconvenient!" Princess Shu smiled and said, "When I went to Jiaozhou, didn't I also stay in your residence?" Wang Hao explained, "When you went to Jiaozhou, no one knew you were a princess of Liao; I came to Shangjing, but my identity is clear. The two are not comparable!" Princess Shu said, "The Jurchens have never breached the city, yet the city is filled with the aura of blood. Do you know why?" Wang Hao, who had only felt an unusually eerie atmosphere in Shangjing after entering the city, suddenly realized, upon hearing this, that the mottled dark red stains in the cracks of the stones in the corners of the walls were actually... The remaining bloodstains led her to say, "The trouble started from within?" The Shu princess seemed to have seen through the cruelty of Shangjing, saying, "Three years ago, Father Emperor led an army of 700,000 north to quell the rebellion, with at least a 70% chance of victory. However, within Shangjing, Yelü Zhangnu disregarded the overall situation and, taking advantage of Father Emperor's personal campaign, actually enthroned Prince Yan, Yelü Chun, as emperor. Father Emperor was forced to return, and the Jurchens seized the opportunity to attack, causing the 700,000-strong army to collapse and suffer a crushing defeat. Father Emperor was furious and ordered Yelü Zhangnu, Yelü Chun, and all their followers and families to be executed on the spot. In just two days, more than 3,000 people were killed in Shangjing. One corpse after another quickly filled the large pit in the northwest of the city!"

Wang Hao slowly calmed his shock and said, "What does this have to do with me living in the princess's residence?" The Shu princess said, "I just want to tell you that there are undercurrents in the capital. If we're not careful, we could both lose our lives at any moment!" Wang Hao frowned and asked, "You and me?" The Shu princess nodded and said, "I am my father's most beloved daughter and the person he trusts most. Moreover, because I am a woman, I absolutely cannot covet the throne, so my father's trust in me is almost unconditional!" Wang Hao continued to ask, "What does this have to do with me?" The Shu princess stared at Wang Hao and said, "Because in Liao, you are my person!" Wang Hao was speechless. Nai laughed and said, "I am an envoy of the Great Song Dynasty, and I will never pledge allegiance to anyone!" The Shu princess shook her head and said, "The Khitan are no longer a monolithic entity. You are an external ally I brought in, so you can only become one of my people. Moreover, because you are about to conduct a trade of weapons and provisions, it will inevitably have a significant impact on the situation in the entire capital. Therefore, there will definitely be people who want to get rid of you as soon as possible!" Wang Hao casually said, "I don't see many elite soldiers in the princess's residence. Isn't it necessarily safer than the official post station?" The Shu princess sneered and said, "The princess's residence is only separated from the palace by a wall. The defense here has always been the responsibility of the Imperial Guards!"

The next day, Wang Hao was summoned to the palace. Surprisingly, only Emperor Tianzuo was present in the entire hall; no other civil or military officials were there. Confused, Wang Hao cautiously said, "Wang Hao, the Maritime Trade Commissioner of Jiaozhou of the Great Song Dynasty, pays respects to the Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty!" Without warning, Emperor Tianzuo suddenly laughed, rose from his throne, and walked towards Wang Hao, saying, "My son, is it your idea to abandon Liaoyang Prefecture?" Wang Hao looked at the approaching, eight-foot-tall middle-aged man, feeling a chilling murderous aura emanating from him. It seemed that one wrong move could result in his head being sliced ​​off by the sword at his waist. Forcibly calming his unease, he said, "What's the use of defending a city without a soul? It's just a waste of troops!" Emperor Tianzuo continued to approach Wang Hao, his voice growing louder, saying, "Liaoyang Prefecture is the secondary capital of our Great Liao Dynasty, yet it's being abandoned by you, a Han Chinese..." "To be persuaded to give up voluntarily is an act of utter vengeance that deserves only a thousand cuts!" Wang Hao unconsciously glanced at the Shu princess beside him, thinking, "The abandonment of Liaoyang Prefecture isn't a recent development. Why is the mastermind unscathed, yet they're clamoring for my life?" He replied, "To squander 30,000 troops on an empty city is unwise!" Emperor Tianzuo said, "Surround it with five parts strength, attack it with ten. My son, with 30,000 troops defending the city, how could you possibly be defeated by 50,000 rebels?" Wang Hao replied neither servile nor arrogant, "Your Majesty knows the ferocity of the Jurchens far better than I, a mere foreign official. Liaodong is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and its northern routes are cut off, leaving it virtually isolated and without support. The garrison of Liaoyang Prefecture can hold out for a while, but not forever. To knowingly do something futile is truly a foolish act!"

Emperor Tianzuo laughed loudly, but in the blink of an eye, he drew his sword, the cold back of the blade pressed against Wang Hao's throat, and said, "Do you know that with a flick of my wrist, you will be dead?" Wang Hao replied, "I understand, but I am not afraid!" Emperor Tianzuo asked in confusion, "You are not afraid of death?" Wang Hao answered, "Of course I am afraid of death!" Emperor Tianzuo asked again, "Then why are you not afraid?" Wang Hao answered, "Because Your Majesty does not want me to die!" Emperor Tianzuo said, "How so?" Wang Hao said, "Are you satisfied with the weapons and armor I sent Your Majesty?" Emperor Tianzuo frowned and said, "A mere five thousand weapons and five hundred sets of armor are not enough for you to negotiate with me!" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "Give me the mining rights in Pingzhou and Luanzhou, and I will send Your Majesty five thousand weapons and one thousand sets of armor every month!"

Emperor Tianzuo did not answer immediately, but Wang Hao clearly sensed that he was already tempted and continued, "Give me free trade rights within the Liao Kingdom, and I will send Your Majesty 50,000 shi of grain every month!" After a long while, Emperor Tianzuo slowly said, "I don't believe that you, a mere county magistrate, can provide me with all the grain and weapons for an army of 50,000!" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "All I need is an imperial edict from Your Majesty. As for whether I can deliver 50,000 shi of grain, 5,000 weapons, and 1,000 sets of armor on time each month, we can wait and see!" Emperor Tianzuo slapped Wang Hao's cheek with the back of his sword and gritted his teeth, saying, "If you cannot deliver the goods on time, I will not only rescind the edict but also cut off your head!" Wang Hao emphasized. "The warhorses must be within the scope of the trade!" Although Emperor Tianzuo's tone was ruthless, he could no longer refuse Wang Hao's conditions. He said, "As long as you can buy the warhorses, I will not interfere!" Wang Hao continued, "I have another suggestion, but I don't know if I should say it!" Emperor Tianzuo knew that Wang Hao was very talented and said, "Speak freely!" Wang Hao said, "A very important reason why the Jurchens are able to become stronger with each battle is that they can obtain all the wealth in each city they conquer. But if Your Majesty transfers all the wealth in the battle zone beforehand, then even if the city falls, I'm afraid there will be many interesting developments within the Jurchens!" Emperor Tianzuo withdrew his sword, patted Wang Hao's shoulder, and said, "Brilliant!"